What are the Ten Niyamas (Observances) of Hinduism?

 

The Ten Niyamas (Observances) of Hinduism

Hri (remorse) - feeling shame and performing penance for misdeeds.

Santosha (contentment) - living a life that strives for joy, serenity, and peace of mind.

Dana (giving) - giving generously to others without expecting anything in return.

Astikya (faith) - maintaining a firm belief in God, the gods and goddesses, the spiritual teacher (guru), and living a life that follows the path to enlightenment. 

Ishvarapujana (worship) - practicing daily puja (prayer) and meditation.

Siddhanta Shravana (scriptures) - studying the holy books and the teachings of wise teachers and  holy men.

Mati (cognition) - under the guidance of a guru, gaining spiritual growth and wisdom.

Vrata (sacred vows) - live a life according to all religious vows, rules, and observances.

Japa (recitation) - chant holy mantras daily.

Tapas (austerity) - living a life without attachment to material things or the ego.

Hinduism strives to achieve a balance between avoiding unethical behavior and living a virtuous, spiritual life.  The goal is to live in the world without being touched (or tainted) by the world. This takes a lifetime of practice, discipline, devotion, and commitment.

Dawn Pisturino

August 9, 2021

Copyright 2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

What is the Role of the Prophet Muhammad in Islam?

 

It is impossible to separate the Prophet Muhammad and the Qur’an from Islamic culture, society, politics, and religion. In the Islamic world, the Prophet Muhammad exemplifies the model of the ideal human, and the Qur’an outlines the duties and responsibilities (the rules, so to speak) of Muslim believers.

In the Qur’an, all of life belongs to Allah; and all believers owe their allegiance to Allah above all else (including family, clan, and country). The Prophet Muhammad never claimed to be anything more than a human being and the messenger of Allah. This places all the emphasis on Allah and away from his human representatives on earth.

Over the centuries, the Prophet Muhammad has been mythologized in many ways. A good example of this is the 16^th century book, The Path of Muhammad by Sufi mystic Imam Birgivi, which assigned magical and supernatural powers to the Prophet.

But this is a departure from Muhammad’s original intent. The Qur’an clearly states in Surah 9:18 that “the Mosques of Allah shall be maintained only by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day; perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) [daily prayers], and give Zakat [charitable alms] and fear none but Allah. It is they who are on true guidance” (Al-Hilali and Khan, 241). Any believer, therefore, who is sincere in his beliefs and actions can be a religious leader in Islam. Nowadays, however, it is more common for religious scholars to manage mosques and act as imams (religious leaders).

The mosque in my community, for example, was built by a local physician who was also an imam in his native country of Pakistan. He hired a religious scholar from Pakistan to be the full-time manager and imam, but he retains total control over the mosque. His control moderates how far the imam can go in conveying orthodox/unorthodox beliefs to the community. When the imam announced one Friday that all Muslims who do not pray the five daily prayers should be killed (an announcement that shocked this westernized community), his fundamentalism was quickly squashed, and he returned to Pakistan a few months later. As a result of this shocking pronouncement, I suspended my visits to the mosque.

Political power has always been important in Islamic history to protect the Islamic community and spread Islamic beliefs (Esposito 60). Muhammad established the first Islamic political state in Yathrib, which was later called Medina. Many Arabs in the town were open to new ideas (Salahi 183-184) and converted to Islam. But the town was also split by internal disagreements and opposing groups. Eventually, a delegation from the town “invited [the Prophet] to come to Yathrib as arbiter of their disputes and de facto ruler of the town” (Esposito 8-9). Muslims from Mecca migrated to Medina, with Muhammad following them in 622.

The Quraysh in Mecca continued to oppose Muhammad and his followers, which led to more persecution and warfare between the two groups. It is during this time that Muhammad’s first revelations about jihad (holy war) appeared in Surah 2:190-191: “And fight in the way of Allah those who fight you . . . And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out . . . But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers” (Al-Hilali and Khan, 47).

Later, when pagan, Jewish, and Christian communities were conquered by Muhammad’s armies and refused to convert to Islam, more revelations about jihad appeared in Surah 9:29: “Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) until they pay the Jizyah [protection tax levied by the Islamic state] with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued” (Al-Hilali and Khan, 243).

By the time of Muhammad’s death in 632, all of western Arabia was under his control (Esposito 10).

Muhammad’s death left a leadership vacuum which led to a major political schism in Islam that still persists today. Passages in the Qur’an can be vague and contradictory – open to many interpretations. And traditional reports of sayings and events attributed to the Prophet (hadith) are not always reliable. Such is the case concerning Muhammad’s successor.

“Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s close friend, was elected by the majority, but some believed that he would have wanted Ali ibn Abi Talib, his cousin and son-in-law, to be his successor (kalipha)” (Armstrong 158). This belief was rooted in the events which reportedly happened at Ghadir Khumm on March 10, 632. While returning from Hajj, the Prophet Muhammad stopped his caravan at Ghadir Khumm and gave one of his last great speeches. He honored his son-in-law, Ali, by saying, “One who has me as his master has Ali as his master” (Tahir-ul-Qadri 17). Muhammad referred to his son-in-law as mawla, which has many meanings but generally translates as “friend” or “helper.” This is how Sunni (mainstream) Muslims interpreted what he meant. But the supporters of Ali interpreted this to mean that the Prophet was giving absolute authority to Ali. A permanent political split occurred between Sunnis and Shiites (supporters of Ali) which lasts to this day. Violent clashes and competition for territory and believers broke out, which resulted in the death of Ali’s grandson, Husayn ibn Ali, by the Ummayad Caliph Yazid in 680 in the territory that now comprises Iraq (Armstrong 158-159). Shiites still regard Husayn as a martyr and honor his death every year. Sunnis and Shiites still fight over political leadership and territory. Iran, a Shiite country, remains in conflict with Sunni Saudi Arabia. And the goal to spread Islam around the world is still alive and well.

The unifying power of Islam, however, is the concept of ummah (community). Every member of the community acts as one body to worship Allah and create a just and equal social order. There is no separation between Allah and the “tribe.” A Muslim’s duty is, therefore, both theological and social, as one evolves from the other.

____ Tahir-ul-Qadri. The Ghadir Declaration. Lahore: Minhaj-ul-Quran Publications, 2002.

Al-Hilali, Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din, and Khan, Muhammad Muhsin. Interpretation of the    

       Meanings of the Noble Qur’an in the English Language, 15^th ed. Riyadh: Darussalam, 1996.

Armstrong, Karen. A History of God. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1993.

Birgivi, Imam. The Path of Muhammad. Bloomington: World Wisdom, 2005.

Esposito, John L. The Oxford History of Islam. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Salahi, Adil. Muhammad: Man and Prophet. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1995.

Dawn Pisturino, RN

December 2018

Thomas Edison State University

Copyright 2018-2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

Is Your House Sitting on an Ancient Gas Line Ready to Explode?

 

Richard Williams lived in an historic home in Shreveport, Louisiana. The home – and the cast iron natural gas main supplying the home – were built in 1911. The pipe cracked in 2016, allowing the gas to accumulate in a storage shed behind the home. Williams investigated a strong odor of gas in his backyard – with a lit cigar in his mouth – and the subsequent explosion killed him (Wooten & Korte, 2018).

An Internet search will reveal numerous natural gas explosions which have occurred over the last few decades as a result of ancient and faulty pipes. Since 1990, approximately 264 people have died due to natural gas accidents (Wooten & Korte, 2018).

In 1991, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration began a program to mandate pipeline operators to replace cast iron natural gas pipes and to protect existing pipes from excavation. This has been a slow process because “the work is expensive, often difficult, and sometimes perilous” (Wooten & Korte, 2018).

Richard Williams and his neighbors had complained for a year about a terrible gas smell in the neighborhood. When Centerpoint Energy finally came out and fixed the service line which was connected to the gas main and the meter, they neglected to fill in the hole they had dug. The pipe began to leak again, and this was later attributed to “improper backfill” (Wooten & Korte, 2018) of the hole. Williams’ brother, a lawyer, contends that Centerpoint Energy and the city of Shreveport are at fault because they “were negligent in maintaining the gas pipes . . . [and it was] Centerpoint’s choice not to remove dangerous cast iron pipes from its system, even though Centerpoint knew just how deadly they were” (Wooten & Korte, 2018).

According to the United States Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, “10% of the incidents occurring on gas distribution mains involved cast iron mains . . . [even though] only 2% of distribution mains are cast iron” (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2020).

Why are cast iron pipes so dangerous? Cast iron is vulnerable to graphitization, which makes the metal more brittle. Any kind of earth movement can cause the pipe to crack and start leaking. Furthermore, “cast iron pipelines were linked using bell and spigot joints with packing material stuffed in the bell to form a gas tight seal” (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2020). When dry gas replaced wet manufactured gas, the packing material dried out, causing leakage. Operators have used clamping and encapsulation to repair these joint leaks, but repairs do not solve the problem. Cast iron pipes – and other ancient pipes – need to be replaced altogether (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2020).

According to Wooten and Korte, “more than 53,000 miles of natural gas mains were built before 1940 . . . Decades of freezing and thawing, corrosion, vibration, and shifting soil can eat away at the cast iron and untreated steel pipes that were once the state of the art in natural gas distribution” (Wooten & Korte, 2018).

Other causes can include excavations by workers or homeowners; incorrectly installed pipes; incorrectly jointed pipes – and it can take years for the problem to become apparent and reach crisis dimensions. Approximately 85,000 miles of cast iron pipes and bare-steel pipes remain in service, posing a hidden danger to humans and structures alike (Wooten & Korte, 2018).

U.S. Department of Transportation. (2020). Cast and wrought iron inventory. Retrieved from

       https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/data-and-statistics/pipeline-replacement/cast-and-wrought-iron-

       inventory/

Wooten, N. & Korte, G. (2018, November). Pipeline peril: Natural gas explosions reveal silent  

       danger lurking in old cast iron pipes. Shreveport Times. Retrieved from

       https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2018/11/10/pipeline-peril-natural-gas-

       explosions-reveal-silent-danger-lurking-old-cast-iron-pipes/1924228002

Dawn Pisturino, RN

November 17, 2020

Copyright 2020 - 2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

Thomas Edison State University

NOTE: This is the kind of national infrastructure that Joe Biden and the Democrats should be concentrating on instead of playing politics with people's lives and spending trillions of dollars on nonsensical wish list projects.

 

Finding Comfort in the 23rd Psalm

 

Psalm 23 is one of the most beautiful and lyrical verses in the Bible. Scholars believe it was composed by King David more than 2,500 years ago. David was a shepherd who loved God and often sang songs to the Lord while tending his sheep. Psalm 23 is a love song to the Lord filled with gratitude, hope, and faith in the constancy of God's love. It is a poetic meditation reflecting on the power of God's protection in the face of adversity. Most of all, it is a vivid portrait of the natural world, our humble place in nature, and God's role as Supreme Master of the Universe. Reading this psalm and contemplating its message brings an inner feeling of comfort, peace, and joy. 

Psalm 23 (King James Version)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anoinest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalm 23 (The Jerusalem Bible)

Yahweh is my shepherd,

     I lack nothing.

In meadows of green grass he lets me lie.

To the waters of repose he leads me;

     there he revives my soul.

He guides me by paths of virtue

     for the sake of his name.

Though I pass through a gloomy valley,

     I fear no harm;

beside me your rod and your staff

     are there, to hearten me.

You prepare a table before me

     under the eyes of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil,

     my cup brims over.

Ah, how goodness and kindness pursue me,

     every day of my life;

my home, the house of Yahweh,

     as long as I live!

Dawn Pisturino

July 8, 2021

Copyright 2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

Culinary Tips from the 1950s Housewife

 

Dedicated to my mother, Adeline Lucille Spencer

The 1950s housewife was expected to cook three wholesome and nutritious meals every day for her family; send children off to school with filling and healthy lunches; set an elegant and lavish table for entertaining; and keep her husband happy and satisfied with a full stomach.

She was expected to know how to choose the best foods at the best prices, and to plan weekly menus that fulfilled the nutritional needs of her family. She read women's magazines and cookbooks, looking for new recipes and advice about raising happy, healthy kids. Over cups of coffee and freshly-baked cookies, she swapped recipes, shared marital secrets and advice, and complained about housework to neighborhood friends and family. The 1950s housewife was highly-regarded and well-respected as the glue that kept the family and society together. And she benefited from post-war prosperity with new innovations in household appliances, television, and increased leisure time. 

Simple Breakfast Menu

Fruit Juice

Coddled Eggs (hard-cooked or soft-cooked boiled eggs)

Graham muffins (or bran muffins)

Coffee and Milk

Simple Lunch Menu

Bacon and Liver Sandwiches (or Bacon and Liverwurst)

Lettuce and Onion Salad Bowl

Chiffondale Dressing ( a variation of French dressing)

Baked Stuffed Pears

Simple Vegetarian Lunch Menu

Creamed Asparagus on Toast

Stewed Tomatoes

Cottage Cheese Salad

Prune Whip

Custard Sauce

Simple Dinner Menu

Roast Beef

Yorkshire Pudding

Toasted Carrots

Buttered Onions

Lettuce and Chicory Salad Bowl

Cheese Tray and Toasted Crackers

Coffee

Simple Vegetarian Dinner Menu

Cheese Souffle

Mashed Potatoes

Buttered String Beans

Radish and Cucumber Salad

Strawberry Shortcake

* * *

A huge part of entertaining guests in the 1950s was setting a proper table using the best china, glassware, silverware, linen napkins and tablecloth, condiment holders, place cards, and centerpiece. Monogrammed napkins and tablecloths were quite popular in the 1950s. Buffet dinners, in particular, gave the 1950s hostess the opportunity to show off her best silver, glass, and linens.

The Formal Dinner

1st course - Appetizer

2nd course - Soup

3rd course - Fish

4th course - Roast 

5th course -  Game

6th course - Salad

7th course - Dessert

8th course - Crackers and Cheese with Coffee 

9th course - Nuts and Raisins

10th course - Fruit

The Simplified Formal Dinner

1st course - Appetizer

2nd course - Main Entree

3rd course - Salad

4th course - Dessert

5th course - Coffee with Fruit or Crackers and Cheese

Courses were served individually in a particular way, and the place setting and position of knives, forks, and spoons reflected the order in which the courses were served.

1950s Food Wisdom

"Expensive foods are not necessarily the most nutritious."

"Prepare all food so attractively, and season it so well, that it will be irresistible."

"Beautiful color and dainty, attractive arrangements play a large part in a successful meal."

"A combination of colors pleases the eye, stimulates the digestive juices, and creates an appetite."

"When planning combinations, follow the day's nutrition schedule and good combinations will result."       [Today, we have the food pyramid that provides nutritional guidelines.]

"Fine flavor in foods is developed by proper cooking. Additional flavors are provided by herbs: garlic, onion, celery, and by spices. Highly-seasoned foods whet the appetite, while sweets satisfy it. For that reason, well-seasoned foods are served for appetizers and sweets for desserts. Serve only one strongly-flavored food at each meal."

"A most important point is the serving of at least one each soft, solid, and crisp foods at each meal."

"Serve hot foods hot and cold ones cold."

"Plan meals that do not have too many last minute touches. When entertaining, avoid serving food that will be ruined by a few minutes waiting."

"If planning to bake one dish, arrange your menu so that the whole oven may be used."

"Learn to buy so that there is a minimum of food left over."

"In summer, the market provides foods low in energy value but high in minerals or vitamins, such as fruits and vegetables. In winter, high-energy foods, as fats and carbohydrates, are needed, too."

* * *

When my mother got married in the 1950s, she did not know how to cook! She was given a wonderful cookbook called The American Woman's Cook Book (1952) as a wedding gift. I pored through that cookbook when I was growing up. The colorful pictures of fabulous desserts and  savory cooked meats always fascinated me and made me want to experiment in the kitchen. I treasure that cookbook as a beautiful reminder of my mother and days gone by.

Dawn Pisturino

May 25, 2021

Copyright 2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

 

The Risks of Postpartum Depression

 

For most women, childbirth is a peak experience filled with love, joy, and a sense of awe. Others find themselves shrouded in a cloud of depression, unable to enjoy the birth of their new child.

Postpartum depression is a natural response to childbirth. Approximately 66% of women experience mild depression or tearfulness as their hormone levels stabilize and they adjust emotionally to their new situation. For some women, however, the condition is more serious.

Severe postpartum depression affects around 10-30% of new mothers. Symptoms include anxiety, irritability, excessive worry over the newborn, fatigue, a sense of failure and guilt, changes in appetite and sleep patterns, and thoughts of suicide.

In more severe cases, a woman may develop panic disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Plagued by repetitive thoughts and ritualistic behavior, a mother becomes so frightened that something will happen to her newborn that she begins to imagine that she is the culprit who will harm her child.

Other women may exhibit manic behavior characteristic of bipolar disorder. In fact, a woman with a prior history of bipolar disorder has a five times greater chance of experiencing a manic episode after delivery.

Statistics reveal that one woman in 1,000 births will likely develop postpartum psychosis. This is a psychiatric emergency which requires immediate hospitalization. Symptoms include bizarre behavior, confusion, irritability, hallucinations, delusions, and poor personal hygiene. A woman suffering from this disorder is at high risk for committing suicide or infanticide. (Think Andrea Yates and some other highly-publicized cases.)

What makes a woman susceptible to developing a serious case of postpartum depression? A prior history of depression, postpartum depression, anxiety, mood disorder, mental illness, sexual, physical, or emotional abuse, and substance abuse top the list of risk factors. But other factors include an unplanned pregnancy, single motherhood, immaturity, low self-esteem, financial problems, marital difficulties, inadequate social support, and poor personal relationships.

If you are a new mother experiencing any of the symptoms of postpartum depression, please get help. Post partum depression is easily treated with antidepressants, antianxiety medications, support groups, psychotherapy, and counseling.

Dawn Pisturino

June 10, 2007

Copyright 2007-2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

Nigerian Ibo (Igbo) Fertility Prayer

Fellow men, we shall all live,

Earth Goddess, hear.

Whoever plants, let him dig up and eat,

Earth Goddess, hear.

We shall give birth to sons,

Earth Goddess, hear.

We shall give birth to daughters,

Earth Goddess, hear.

We shall train them, Earth Goddess, hear.

When we are old they will feed us,

Earth Goddess, hear.

Whoever sees us with an evil eye,

When he plants may the floods sweep his mounds away.

Whoever wishes us evil,

May he break his fist on the ground.

We are broody hens, we have chicks.

We do not fly up,

We look after our brood.

We do not eye others with an evil eye.

This big-headed thing (child) that came home yesterday,

He is yet a seed.

If you wish that he germinates

And grows to be a tree,

We shall be ever thankful.

Earth Goddess, hear;

He will grow to be like his stock.

Aylward Shorter, W.F.

This prayer is part of a hand-washing ceremony that Ibo women perform at the birth of a child. The women pray for fertility for crops and children. The women beat their hands together while reciting, "Earth Goddess, hear."

Dawn Pisturino, RN

May 1, 2021

Copyright 2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.